Time switch



G. F`. GAVARD TIME swITcH Filed Nov. 16, -1923 July 28, 1925. 1,547,803

Patented July '28, 1925.

inaraa'r oFl-lcl-z.

GEORGE F. GAVA'RD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TIIE SWITCH.

Application led November 16, 1923. Serial No. 675,088.

. and useful Improvements in Time Switches,

of which the following is a specification.

Awith the dial plate removed. A-

Fig. v is a front elevation with the hour This invention relates to timeswitches,-

and has for an object to provide a simple, practicable and reliable timemechanism for automatically closin and breaking, and for maintainingclosed or a variable period of time, an electric circuit,'such, forinstance, as the circuit of an advertising illuminated sign.v

Another object is to provide, in combination, a twenty-four hour-clockdial and means adjustable to be registered with hours of. the dial todetermine the time of closing 20' and the time of breaking` an electriccircuit.

Other ob'ects and advantages will be made mV in. the followingspecilication4 of an embodiment of the invention illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a. front elevation of the'improved device.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the parts handpointerremoved.

The invention consists of a` suitable box or shell 2 having, a frontplate 3 p rovided with any suitable dial device 4 which, in tliepresentcase is shown as. divided in 24lxour circle, a 12hour zone of the-digits being indicatedin li ht characters 4* and theA remainino'- 12digits indicated.in contrasting sliade or c oloras indicated at 4b.Centrally of the ydial there is provided a setting-knob 5 on the hourarbor of a clockwork C, the setting-knob being attached to anhour-pointer 6 operating through one circle in 24 hours.

Secured to the hour shaft C of the cloc work is a disc 7 which isrovided with'an inwardly de'ecting yielda le finger. 8, the linger andthe disc constituting an electric conductor, the fin er being engageablewithrelatively adjusta le contact. plates 10 and 11 of segmental formand which are rotatably mounted on a bearino. '12 Fig. 2,

through which the hour ar r extends without contact. The bearing 12is-mounted on an intermediate plate 13 which may be of insulatingmaterial, as also may be the front plate 3.

The contact segments 10 and 11 are in electric engagement and are eachindepend ently adjustable around the bearing 12 and' are constantly incontact withl a circuit track 14 having a circular part concentric withthe bearing 12. To facilitate adjustment of the contact segments 10-and-11, these are each provided with outwardly projecting finger-pieces15, movable in a concentric slot 16, in the front plate 3. The slot isof any suitable length and to adjustthe lcontact segments it is onlynecessary to enga e the projecting ends of the finger 15 an by theseswing' the contact segments 10 and 11 to any desired on and around thetrack 14, Fig. 5.

.The contacts 10 and 11 are relatively adjustable so as to provide forvariation of effective track area to be engaged bythe contact shoe 8which is designed to engage portions ofthe contacts 10 and 11 while theshoe 8 is being driven by the clock mechanism. The contact segment l0 isslotted at 10 to provide yfor a close adjustment of the segments one onto of the other. When in such relation the ger 15 of the segment 11extends into the slot 10 of the segment 10. The contact Ashoe-8 sweepsin a circle within the position of the adjusting tingei- 15.

In use of the device, a circuit conductor is attached to a terminal of acontact arm 21, disposedbetween the plates 3 and 13 -and constantlyengaging the conductor disc 7, as seen in Fig, 2. A circuit wire 21 isconnected to the terminal of an end 14 of the track 14. A circuit may beclosed when the contact shoe 8 rides u on the contact segments 10.-11;the wires 20-21 obviously being extended and included in anyv suitablecircuit which may, for linstance, .include an electric light L, a sourceof current B. The return-circuit line 22'is shown as for convenienceattached to a ground bar 23, which may -be mounted on the shell orhousing, as shown.

By providing a 24-hour dial and hour.

arbor mechanism, it will be seen that'the contact shoe will make but onecircuit in f 24 hours, and therefore when the apparatus is used forcontrolling a night signa 'or advertising device includin an electriclight system, then when the a justable segments position l llO areset inthe second or P. M. series of hour digits, the circuit will be closedonly once during the 24 hours of a day.

Further embodiments, modifications and variations may be resorted towithin the spirit ofv the invention.

Vhat is claimed is:

1. In a time switch a twenty-four hour clockwork, a setting-knob mountedon the hour arbor of the clockwork, an hour pointer extending from thesetting-knob, a disc mounted to rotate with the hour arbor, a

brush extending from thedisc, a bearing fixed concentric to the hourarbor, segmental contact plates mounted upon the bearing and adapted toslidingly overlap to he adjustable in eiective length, and the brushengaging th-e contact plates, a circuit track in constant contact withthe contact Y plates, and finger pieces projecting outlcontactplates forad] Wardly from the contact plates for adjusting the plates.

2. In a time switch a twenty-four hour clockwork, a setting-knob mountedon the contact plates mounted upon 'the bearing,`

and adapted to slidingly overlap to be adjustable in effective lengthand the brush in constant contact with the -contact.plates, fingerpieces projecting outwardly from the 'listing the plates, and a brush incontact withthe disc.

`In testimony whereof I have .signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE F. GAVARD.

engaging the contact" plates, a circuit track

